Lions kicker Hanson retires after 21 years

Summary of 4 articles · Updated Apr 4, 2013

"It's time," Hanson said in a statement released by the Lions. “It was time to make a decision,” Hanson said. Hanson joined the Lions in 1992, the year after they reached the NFC Championship Game. The Detroit Lions' kicker is retiring after 21 seasons, a… (more)nnouncing his decision Thursday. Did Hanson retire rather than play for the veteran's minimum after his long service to the franchise? He told Mike O'Hara of the Lions' website that a previously unrevealed heel injury spurred his decision. But he entered free agency last month after his contract expired, and his agent expressed public disappointment in the Lions' contract offer. Although his kickoffs might have shortened a bit, he converted 32 of 36 field goal attempts last season, and over the past three years, he converted 10 of 14 attempts from at least 50 yards.